Tuesday, April 09, 2013

[393] Chaz Bono helps MTSU students SpringOut! for LGBT awareness

FOR RELEASE: April 5, 2013

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Joshua Rigsby, MTLambda@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO — Chaz Bono, an LGBT rights advocate, author
and musician who grew up on TV and changed his adult life in the public eye as
well, is the keynote speaker for MT Lambda's SpringOut! 2013 celebration at
MTSU on Tuesday, April 9.

Bono's talk will begin at 7 p.m.
in Tucker Theatre inside the Boutwell Dramatic Arts Auditorium. The theatre
doors will open at 6 p.m. for free first-come, first-served seating for his
visit.

SpringOut! 2013 is a weeklong
campus pride event for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students and
their friends and supporters at MTSU and the Middle Tennessee community.

MT Lambda, a student organization
established in 1988 at MTSU, started SpringOut! in 2003 to bring the campus
together via education and entertainment.

The organization also will
present its first LGBTQ Advocacy Award before Bono's talk on Tuesday.

"MT Lambda chose to invite
Chaz Bono to highlight the difficult living conditions for transgender people
in Tennessee," MT Lambda president Joshua Rigsby said.

"Chaz's appearance will
highlight the positive and inclusive climate at MTSU and bring awareness to the
fact that even within the confines of Tennessee’s legislative difficulties, it
is still possible to create a welcoming and supportive environment that is
focused on equality. Because of this, we expect a great deal of community
interest."

Bono, 44, the only child of pop
duo Sonny and Cher, was born female. Then known as Chastity, Bono came out at
age 18 to both parents as a lesbian. He publicly announced his sexual
orientation in 1995 in a magazine and later wrote two books about his life,
"Family Outing: A Guide to the Coming Out Process for Gays, Lesbians, and
Their Families" and "The End of the Innocence."

By 2010, Bono had undergone a
female-to-male gender transition and legally changed his name to Chaz. A
documentary about his transition, "Becoming Chaz," premiered at the
2011 Sundance Film Festival and later aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network,
earning three Emmy nominations. A third book, "Transition: Becoming Who I
Was Always Meant to Be," was published in 2010.

MTSU's SpringOut! 2013 celebration
begins on Monday, April 8, with "Outapalooza!", where community
organizations and campus groups will showcase available resources in a carnival
atmosphere from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Keathley University Center Knoll.

Monday night at 7 features the
SpringOut! Drag Out drag show in the James Union Building's Tennessee Room.
Advance tickets are $5 each or $10 for VIP seating; tickets at the door will be
$10 and $15, respectively.

·a free
public panel discussion focusing on religion and LGBTQ issues on Wednesday at 7
p.m. in the KUC Theater.

·a "NO
H8" photo booth on Thursday, April 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the KUC
Knoll.

MT Lambda also is displaying an
LGBTQ historical timeline all week inside the James E. Walker Library,
organizers said.

"In the past MT Lambda has
brought speakers to campus such as Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard;
comedian and actor Ant; and director/producer/actor Del Shores, just to name a
few," Rigsby said. "This year will be our biggest SpringOut! week
yet, including our Outtapalooza event, our Spring Drag Show and the religious
panel focused on LGBTQ issues."

More details are available at MT
Lambda's website, www.mtsu.edu/~mtlambda.

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devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s
a simple phrase that conveys them: “I am True Blue.” Learn more at
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